Cannot find Aliens

[Griswel (OP)]

I've played for 35 years in 6.43, after dropping my last 6.4 games when I played twice that and never found an alien.  Now, there's an updated DB so I assume that if I introduced a problem it was overwritten by the change.  When I installed 6.43, I had only the scenario, none of my saves and I deleted that to save space/slowdown.

My game settings are difficulty 50% (I'm not that good), at least two spoilers (can I check?), Star Swarm but no precursors or robots.  1000 systems, of which I've explored 125 and completely mapped more than half.  I have, oddly, found Star Swarm in places it seems like I maybe should have found spoilers or random new NPRs (which I either left at 30% or set to 40%).  I've found them in three unconnected (so far as I can tell) systems, one is quite far distant and had the only Colony Cost 0 planet I've discovered.   I love playing and building, but I'd really like to run into an NPR opponent if I could.

I'm going to start a new game (though the DB is saved in a different directory, so not a true test of the DB I'd been using for corruption, assuming that could explain my situation), with 100 systems, 10 NPRs and 50% NPR generation chance.

In the meantime, any help would be appreciated.

[Haji]

I'm not sure there is any way to change the situation. The game is truly random, which means it's entirely possible to run several hundred years long game without finding any NPRs. It's just down to luck. You can however force the game to create an NPR using SM mode.

[Griswel (OP)]

I'm not sure there is any way to change the situation. The game is truly random, which means it's entirely possible to run several hundred years long game without finding any NPRs. It's just down to luck. You can however force the game to create an NPR using SM mode.

Okay, I don't mind building and searching, but two long games in a row I began to wonder if I was gonna be able to shoot at anything.  I even built a big anti-swarm fleet and when I went for it the thing had moved on.

[Barkhorn]

I'm not sure there is any way to change the situation. The game is truly random, which means it's entirely possible to run several hundred years long game without finding any NPRs. It's just down to luck. You can however force the game to create an NPR using SM mode.

So wait, I can procedurally generate an AI-controlled NPR using SM mode?  How much do I have to specify for the NPR?  I think that the less I have to specify the better, because I'd like to know as little as possible about them when we first meet, to make our encounter as fair as possible.  Basically I want it to be exactly the same as the standard NPR generation, except I know it generated one somewhere.

[JacenHan]

You have to choose the planet and population for it, all else is random. Activate SM mode and go to the System View (F9) screen.

[Haji]

So wait, I can procedurally generate an AI-controlled NPR using SM mode?  How much do I have to specify for the NPR?  I think that the less I have to specify the better, because I'd like to know as little as possible about them when we first meet, to make our encounter as fair as possible.  Basically I want it to be exactly the same as the standard NPR generation, except I know it generated one somewhere.

There are two ways to generate NPRs. One is as JacenHan described. Another one is to go SpaceMaster -> Add extra NPR which creates a random NPR in a new system (I think).

[Barkhorn]

That's awesome Haji, thanks!

[Griswel (OP)]

There are two ways to generate NPRs. One is as JacenHan described. Another one is to go SpaceMaster -> Add extra NPR which creates a random NPR in a new system (I think).

What information can you see on them after that, if any?  I SM-ed in an NPR on one planet in my first game (though iirc I had to pick the home, so maybe I did it JacenHan's way), the game where without Star Swarm I saw nothing at all for 50+ years (75?) and >100 systems visited of the original 1000 (random NPR was low, but still 15-20%), all I could think was "Hello? [hello] Echo [echo] Now batting for Pedro Borbon, Manny Mota!"

I did not see them in any reports (even SM doesn't see NPRs, right?)(EDIT I looked at the log in SM mode and it was all only me, which got me worried), but I cannot recall if I visited to check.  It was the end of vacation, I downloaded 6.43 before doing much more, and I picked a spot which was reasonably far away.  I just want to verify that I haven't messed something up that caused NPRs not to generate or to appear as Swarm.  Is there any way to tell other than searching (any SM power?).  I got the impression that once started NPRs were immune (which is cool, no temptations on that end).

[Haji]

That's awesome Haji, thanks!

You're welcome.

What information can you see on them after that, if any?

You can see nothing about NPRs, even in SM mode. At the very least I know of now way to do so.

(random NPR was low, but still 15-20%)

I don't know if you know that, so I'll write it just to be sure. NPR generation chance says how likely it is for an NPR to generate on an appropriate planet. As the number of those is rather small and recently many new and very useless systems have been added (like brown dwarfs which will never have an NPR generated there, unless it's one of the spoiler races) the chances to find an NPR are actually quite low. In addition it is possible for a "pre-TN" civilization to spawn. Such a race would have population and ground forces but nothing else - no installations, no ships no nothing and would never advance to the TN era. As such those are somewhat difficult to detect and usually found only once you begin to fully survey their system.

[Griswel (OP)]

You're welcome.

You can see nothing about NPRs, even in SM mode. At the very least I know of now way to do so.

I don't know if you know that, so I'll write it just to be sure. NPR generation chance says how likely it is for an NPR to generate on an appropriate planet. As the number of those is rather small and recently many new and very useless systems have been added (like brown dwarfs which will never have an NPR generated there, unless it's one of the spoiler races) the chances to find an NPR are actually quite low. In addition it is possible for a "pre-TN" civilization to spawn. Such a race would have population and ground forces but nothing else - no installations, no ships no nothing and would never advance to the TN era. As such those are somewhat difficult to detect and usually found only once you begin to fully survey their system.

Thanks, that's reassuring on NPRs.   I'll just keep looking around, and maybe bump up the random NPR chance next game.

EDIT - I found enemies!  4 jumps away by the closest route, oddly, three of the eight Sol jump points lead there, so I was bound to run into them before long.

[Shipright]

Regardless of if you can see them in SM mode an NPR should cause interrupts rather regularly correct? That's generally how I know they are out there, though most of the time I still don't see them.

[Garfunkel]

If you start with only 1 NPR and have no spoilers activated, it is possible that the NPR doesn't run into anything either, thus causing no slowdowns.